Kizzire, Cook Secure Final Spots for Sentry Tournament of Champions

View of the Plantation Golf Course in Kapalua, which hosted the 2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Photo by Kiaora Bohlool.

Patton Kizzire and Austin Cook secured their first trips to Maui with victories at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and The RSM Classic, respectively, in the final two opportunities to solidify a spot in the 37-player field for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The tournament returns to The Plantation Course at Kapalua from Jan. 3-7, 2018.

In total, 37 players have qualified for the Sentry Tournament of Champions via their PGA TOUR victories during the 2017 calendar year, including 14 first-timers.

Nine of the top-10 in the Official World Golf Rankings – world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, and Henrik Stenson – are all qualified after posting victories on the PGA TOUR this year.

Kizzire held off Rickie Fowler at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba two weeks ago to earn his first PGA TOUR victory and take the FedExCup points lead. The 31-year-old’s one-shot victory came in his 64th career start on the tour and helped him secure his first start at The Plantation Course in January.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment for a long time. I haven’t thought about it since the last putt went in, but I’ve been thinking about the exemptions and the Masters and Maui and all that stuff that goes along with winning for a long time,” said Kizzire after his victory. “I’m really excited and it brings a big smile to my face to think about all those things.”

In his fourth start since securing his PGA TOUR card for the first time, Cook earned his own trip to Kapalua with a four-shot victory over J.J. Spaun at The RSM Classic. The 2017 Web.com Tour graduate took the lead with an 8-under 62 in the second round and held on to it over the weekend with rounds of 66-67. The victory moved Cook up to No. 3 in the FedExCup points standings.

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“Fourth tournament with my TOUR card, that’s pretty impressive if you ask me,” said Cook after his win about securing a spot in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. “I’m just super excited.”

The winners-only tournament will celebrate its 20th year on Maui along with a new chapter in the tournament’s history with Sentry Insurance as the new title sponsor. The event offers a variety of opportunities to get involved and up close with some of the game’s biggest stars that have qualified for the event, such as defending champion and reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas, 2015 champion Jordan Spieth, 2013 winner Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama.

The following 37 players have qualified for the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions with their victories listed:

Jason Dufner winning the The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide

Daniel Berger winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic

Brooks Koepka winning the U.S. Open

Kyle Stanley winning the The National

Xander Schauffele* winning the Greenbrier Classic, TOUR Championship

Bryson DeChambeau* winning the John Deere Classic

Grayson Murray* winning the Barbasol Championship

Jhonattan Vegas winning the RBC Canadian Open

Chris Stroud* winning the Barracuda Championship

Henrik Stenson winning the Wyndham Championship

Brendan Steele winning the Safeway Open

Pat Perez winning the CIMB Classic

Justin Rose winning the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions

Ryan Armour* winning the Sanderson Farms Championship

Patrick Cantlay* winning the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Patton Kizzire* winning the OHL Classic at Mayakoba

Austin Cook* winning the The RSM Classic

*signifies first time playing the Sentry Tournament of Champions

A variety of ticket packages are now on sale, including good-any-one-day tickets, daily tickets and weekly tickets. Clubhouse packages are also still available, both in weekly and daily tickets. Tickets are available at PGATOUR.com/tournaments/sentry-tournament-of-champions/tickets.html or via Ticketmaster. Fans are reminded that each year, youth 18 and younger are admitted free of charge to the tournament when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Nikki SchenfeldNikki joined the Maui Now team in 2016 as a writer/reporter. Originally from Chicago, she has had internships with CBS2 Chicago and Comcast SportsNet Chicago where she had the opportunity to interview some of Chicago's best athletes. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism. She moved to Maui in 2013.